Automobile heater



M. zwlcKL.

' AuTo'MoBlLE HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED APK. II, ,1921.

Patented June 20,1922;

UNITED STATES MAX ZWICKL, 0F HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMOBILE HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 20, 1922.

Application illed April 11, 1921. Serial No. 460.449.

T o all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, MAX Zwioiiii, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hoboken, in. the county of Hudson and State of New Jerse have invented certain new and useful mprovements in Automobile Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in heating apparatus for motor vehicles, and is particularly directed to improvements in apparatus employing the heat of the exhaust gases for this purpose.

Devices of this kind heretofore employed have generally been of one of two types. A large number have employed the hot gases directly as the heating medium, ordinarily passing them through suitable radiators. This type of heater, however, is inoperative when the engine is not run; and it has been found that in really cold weather it became necessary to run the engine when the car was standing still in order to prevent the interior of the car from becoming chilly.

In order to avoid the waste of fuel resultant upon this practice, it has heretofore been proposed to employ Water as the heatin medium, the exhaust gases being utilized for heating the Water. While systems of this type retain their heat for a considerable length of time after the engine has stopped, they are subject to two principal disa vanta es.

or one thing, of time for the water to become heated, so that with this type of system a considerable period must elapse after the engine is started before the car becomes adequately warm. Furthermore, in these systems the water is not sufficiently hot to heat the car adequately in extremely cold weather, particularly when there is a heavy wind or when the car door is opened very frequently.

A principal object of my invention is to provide a motor vehicle heating apparatus which will combine the advanta es of the hot Water system above referre to, particularly in its capacity to retain its heating properties to a substantial degree for a considerable period after the motor has been stopped, Without being subject to the limitations in heating capacity from which systems of the hot water type suffer.

I accomplish this object b employing a system in'which water may be heated to a point where it forms steam.,

it takes a substantial length sol that the Watei-.and steam will retain the heat, while the steam may be raised to any desired temperature.

'Ihe're are numerous diliculties in the provision of a heater of the type indicated in which steam may be generated, such as the limited amount of water which the heat available fromthe average engine will convert into steam, andthe provision of a radiating system inwhich the greatest amount of heat Will be obtained from the water and steam without such a reduction in temperature in the heater as to make the generation of steam impossible. I have devised a heating apparatus which overcomes these disadvantages, and which accomplishes the further objects of ready installation and ease of manufacture.

Ai further object is the provision of a heater of the type indicated which is adapted to mufle the exhaust ases at the same time that the heat is obtained therefrom. I have also devised a steam heater so arranged that the temperature may be readily controlled.

A subsidiary object is the provision of a heater in which the temperature may be readily shown by an indicator located at a distance, as on the` instrument board of the usual motor vehicle, without expensive or complex thermometers or analogous devices. I accomplish this object by providing a steam pressure gauge connected to the heater, the ressure of the steam being of course direct y related to its temperature.

Other obects and advantages of my invention wilf be ap arent from the following description taken in connection with the ac'-y companying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of one exempliication of my invention installed in a motor vehicle,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the heater installed beneath the front seat of a vehicle, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View of the heater proper taken along radial planes passing through the various inlet and outlet devices, the position of Which is somewhat varied from that of Figs. l and 2.

M heater includes a relatively small body portion adapted to contain the Iwater employed, and havin a plurality of conduits passing through t e Water space through which the exhaust ases pass, the conduits being so constructe and. arranged that the water is heated by radiation therefrom, and the gases are muiiled at the same time.

A convenient form of heater body inycludes a shell 10 closed at the top by plate 11 and at the bottom by plate 12. A plurality of exhaust gas conduits in the form of flues 13 extend through the interior of shell. 10 and tit tightly into suitable openings in plates 11 and 12. The exhaust gases are led through iiues 13 in such a way that they will pass upwardly through a number of the lues, and downwardly through the remainder, so as to heat the water 14 and at the same time Inutile the gases. @ne convenient arrangement for this purpose includes the provision of an inlet chamber 15 communicating with one end of the lues 13 through which the gases pass upwardly, an outlet chamber 16 communicating with the corresponding end of the fiues through which the gases pass downwardly, and an upper chamber 17 through which the gases may pass from the up to the down iues, the change in direction in chamber 17 helping to produce the muiiiing effect. Chamber 15 is connected with the engine exhaust, as by means of pipe 15a, and chamber 16 preferably connects With a pipe 16a extending rearwardly to a point adjacent that of the usual exhaust discharge. If desired, this effect may be assisted by properly proportioning the up and down flues, or by varying the number of 'lues of each kind; but my device has been found to operate satisfactorily where the tlues communicating with chambers 15 and 16 are of approximately the same size and number.

While it is of course understood that l am not necessarily limited to the exact physical construction disclosed, an extremely iconvenient and cheap construction of the type described is provided by forming chambers 15 and 16 from a single dished casting having a marginal flange 18l adapted to be mounted on the floor of the car, with a central artition 19 to divide chambers 15 and 16. he upper chamber 17 may be formed in a hollow head 20, and the whole heater may be held in assembled position by means of bolts 21 threaded into or otherwise engaging the bottom of chambers 15 and 16, and provided with nuts 22 screwing down on the top of head 20. F or convenience in construction, bolts 21 may pass through tlues 13, thereby simplifying the construction oit the heater. lt will be apparent that`b releasing nuts 22 the various parts o the heater heretofore described may readily be separated and cleaned or replaced, the exact extent and method of separation being somewhat dependent upon the precise form of the arts employed, which may be varied considerably by one skilled in the art.

F or one thing, plates 11 and 12 and lues 13 may be constructed and connected in the usual way tor making boiler tlues; though this is not essential. Furthermore, plates 11 and 12 may be separate from or connected to the shell 10 and head 20, as desired.

To obtain the maximum eiiiciency of my heater, l have found it desirable to till it with water ltlup to about the half-way point, leaving a steam space 23 above the water. Any suitable means for filling the heater with water may be. provided, such as the filler pipe 24 mounted on and passing through a wall of the shell 10 and covered by a screw cap 25.` An air vent 26 is pret'- -erably provided for permitting the air to escape during filling, vent 26 preferably being controlled by a valve as illustrated. l also preferably provide means for draining the tank without taking it apart, a convenient arrangement of well-known type being disclosed, including the drain pipe 27 controlled .by valve 28 and discharging through t-he floor of the vehicle. It will be noted that vai'ious arrangements of these elements are shown in the three figures, and various other methods of arrangement and construction may obviously be employed.

Manifestly the size and shape of my heater may be varied within wide limits, depending upon the construction ot' the car and the location of the heater. ln any event, however, it is desirable to have the heater fairly small in size, not only because of the increased facility with which steam is generated, but also for economy of space 1n the car. lVith a. great many standard types of car the heater may readily be mounted on the car tloor in a recess 29 in the back of the front seat 30, as shown in Fig. 2, where it may be arranged so lthat a door 31 may be closed to hide the heater when not in use.

l may provide means of any well-known type for driving as much of the exhaust as is desired into the heater. F or this lurpose, the pipe 15a may be connected to t e usual exhaust ipe 32, with a valve 33 controlled by hand e 34 adapted to regulate the opening of pipe 15al to control the flow of exhaust gas therein. The valve 33 may be located at the junction of pipes 32 and 15a, so that it will close either of these pipes proportionately as the other pipe is opened. ln this way the heat may be readily regulated. lllhis feature, however, is not an essential part of my invention, and any means may be provided for regulating the flow of exhaust gas through pipe 15a.

lln order to enable the operator to see at a glance the temperature of the heater, l may employ asteam gauge 35 on the instrument board of the car connected with the steam space 23 of the heater by a small pipe 36. llhe steam space should also be connected to a safety valve which may be conveniently mounted on pipe 36, and which may be set for any desired pressure in accordance with the maximum heat required in the car. This will provide an automatic limit to the radiator temperature, as Well as prevent damage through the generation ot' excess pressure in the heater.

^ It will be evident that in the embodiment shown, l have provided a heater ot' simple construction which may be readily controlled, and Whose heating etl'ect may be directly observed by the operator through the employment of steam gauge 35 without requiring the use of any thermometer or similar instrument. It. should, ot' course, be kept in mind that the temperature adjacent the heater may be entirely different from that where the driver sits, as the latter part ot the car may be partitioned otl' from the rear portion, or air circulation in. the front of the ear may render it decidedly cooler than the. re-ar part. For this reason an ordinary thermometer showing the car temperature and located adjacent the driver would 1n many cases be inadequate. It has also been foundvin actual n'actice that with the heater constructed as slhown, the Inutlling effect is fully as great as that ot' the standard type of mufHer, the engine making no more noise and being subjected to no more back pressure when t-he gases are passing through the heater than when they pass through the usual muffler.

While I prefer the form ot' heate-r shown, in which the water and steam radiate heat directly from the Walls ot' the heater, and where the heater is itself mounted in the body of the car, obviously my invention is not necessarily restricted to these features, since it is Well known in the art to locate the heater outside ot' the car body and to convey a heated fluid into the car, either directly as when hot air is emplo ed, or through asuitable ipe system as W en another luid is use and these vprinciples could be applied to my heater b-y one conversant With this art.

While my heater `in its broad aspect is essentially adapted for the specific use desig nated, it will be apparent that certain of the more detailed yfeatures are equally applicable to heaters for other purposes.

I claim:

l. A steam heater for motor vehicles, including'a tubular Water reservoir having separate inlet and outlet chambers at one end and a transverse chamber at the other, a plurality of pipes connecting the inlet chamber with the transverse passage, a of pipes connecting the transverse passage with the outlet chamber, and means for conducting motor exhaust gases to theA inlet chamber.

2. A steam heater for motor vehicles ada ted to be mounted Within a vehicle, incluc ing a tubular Water reservoir of relatively small size adapted to radiate heat;

a reservoir head having a closed chamber extending substantially across the reservoir, a base for the reservoir including a pair ot' separate chambers which together eX- tend across substantially the entire bottom of the reservoir, one ot said chambers being adapted for connection to a motor exhaust and the other adapted to provide an outlet Jor exhaust gases, a plurality of longitudinal pipes in the reservoir connecting the exhaust-connected chamber'in the hase with the transverse chamber in the head, and a plurality of longitudinal' pipes in the reservoir connecting said chamber in the head with the outlet chamber in the base, the construction being such that steam is generated from water in the reservoir, and the exhaust is muffled, during the passage ot' exhaust gases through said pipes and chambers.

3. A steam heater for 'motor-vehicles,`

comprising a tubular water jacket, a hollow header at one end ot the jacket divided by a partition into a gas inta (e anda gas outlet chamber, an undivided hollow header at the other end ot the jacket, a plurality of gas tubes passing through the jacket and connecting the headers, some ot the tubes communicating with said intake chamber and others communicating with said outlet chamber, a connection tor engine exhaust gas to said intake chamber, and a discharge connection for said outlet chamber.

4. A steam heater for motor-vehicles, comprising an upright tubular Water jacket, a hollow header at the bottom of the jacket divided b a partition into a gas intake and a gas out et chamber, an undivided hollow header at the top of the jacket, a plurality ot gas tubes passing through the jacket and connecting the headers, some of the tubes communicating with said intake cha ber and other communicating with said o tlet chamber, a connection for en ine exhaust gas to said intake chamber, an a discharge connection for said outlet chamber.

'5. In a combined steam heater and exhaust mutiler for internal-combustion motor vehicles, the combination of a dished base having a transverse partition defining exhaust-gas Vintake and discharge chambers, a gas connection `for each chamber a tubular water jacket having a bottom plate adapted to close the open top of said base and also having at its upper end a hollow header, a plurality ot gas tubes running longitudinally through the jacket and convehicles, the combination of a dished base having a transverse partition defining eX- haust-gas intake and discharge chambers, the base also having a flange adapted to rest on the vehicle floor about an opening therein accommodating said base, a gas connection foreach chamber, a tubular Water jacket having a bottom plate adapted to close the open top of said base and also havingat its upper end a hollow header, a plurality of gas tubes running longitudinally through the jacket 'and connecting the header With said bottom plate, some of said tubes communicating with the said intake chamber and others communicating i with said discharge chamber, and means detachably connectmg the jacket to the base.

7. ln a combined steam heater and exhaust mu'lier for internal-combustion motor vehicles, the combination of a dished base having a transverse partition defining exhaust-gas intake and discharge chambers, a gas connection for each chamber, a tubular Water jacket having a bottom plate adapted to close the open top of said base and also having at its upper end a hollow header, a plurality of gas tubes running longitudinally through the jacket and connecting the header with said bottom plate, some of said tubes communicating With said intake chamber and others communicating With said discharge chamber, and through bolts passing through said header and certain of the gas tubes and engaging said baseand detachably connecting the jacket and header to the base.

Signed at Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, this 24th day of March, A. D. 1921.

MAX ZWCKL. 

